Operation 'Apple Pie'
by little-sparks
Summary: One-Shot. A Pete's eye view of Bering and Wells. When Myka falls under the influence of a violent Artifact, Pete and HG must work together to stop her.


**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**A/N**: This is my first ever foray into fan-fiction I am not a writer, me can barely do English good. But I had plot bunnies and an afternoon to kill. Here is the result. I've used Pete as a sort of 'buffer' to make up for my inability to write emotions. Also I wanted a chance for Helena and Pete clear the air a little more.

* * *

Helena peered through the windowed doors leading into the main hall. Tattered clothes littered the floor where the creature stood, the only remaining evidence of the person whose place it took. Helena's eyes grew wide, this couldn't really be? What she was seeing was something out of folklore; plucked from the minds of horror writers and cultists.

It stood on two enormous hind legs with oversized clawed paws, its stance was almost human, with massive muscular arms and hands. But in lieu of fingernails, elongated claws grew from its fingers. Above the neck the human similarities ceased, the face was that of a wolf. With a row of razor sharp teeth protruding from its snout and thick black fur covered its entire body.

"This is amazing!" Helena exclaimed.

"That wasn't really the word I was going for but okay sure," Pete eyed the creature nervously through the window from beside her. "You know she's going to be pissed when she realises she's shredded her favourite jacket."

* * *

Pete and Myka had originally been assigned this apparently routine ping in a small town in Minnesota. A number of residents had been reporting sightings of large 'wolf-like' creatures, and many others were having blackouts and waking up naked in a nearby woodland. Artie's belief was this was some sort of toxin leaking into the water supply, warping the residents perception of reality.

"So you're saying everyone's drugged up?" Pete asked, glancing up from his file.

"I'm _saying_ you go do your jobs, question the locals, see if this is artifact related and if so 'snag, bag and tag'."

Artie had begun to shoo them away when Pete piped up, "You think we could take HG with us?" Myka shot him a glare from across the table, "I mean there's quite a few people here to question, it would make sense having another Agent on the case"

Artie gave him a questioning stare, then shrugged, "fine, fine" and walked away.

Pete grinned and Myka excused herself to get ready, not before shooting him one more angry look.

Things hadn't been the same with Myka since Helena returned from Regent 'rehab', she'd been gone so long and Myka had questions. They all did. But she just couldn't supply the answers. The two of them had been driving the others mad for weeks, exchanging hurt looks across the dinner table and longing glances when the other wasn't aware.

This had inspired Pete and Claudia to begin operation 'Apple Pie' (Pete couldn't explain his desire to name it this, just said he had a vibe).

* * *

The drive over had been pretty good, Pete had managed to induce some of their old behaviour by insisting on playing alternative Rock on the radio. This was met with much disapproval from the girls. Eventually a vote was passed and the radio station was switched to Classical.

"Two against one!"

"Great, back to two Mykas."

Upon arrival though Myka had insisted on splitting up. She was going to head to the town's American history museum to speak to the caretaker, he claimed to have seen some sort of giant 'wolf-man' wondering the grounds. This left Helena and Pete to interview the most recent naked wonderer, who was currently residing at the local hospital with suspected hypothermia.

"Pete please, you've been shifting in your seat like you have a small colony of insects in your trousers. If you have something to say just come out with it."

"Ants in your pants HG, the saying is…never mind, it's nothing, just your choice of radio station, Mozart makes me uncomfortable, no deaf guy should make music like that."

"Beethoven."

"Whatever."

He glanced at her uncomfortably a few more times under her gaze, before finally exclaiming "Fine! Geez no wonder Myka always cried when you stared at her too long" he sighed, "I just want to know why."

"why what?" she asked, confused.

"Why you were gone for so long, why you won't tell any of us where you're been and why you won't just tell Myka how you feel about her!"

Helena bowed her head. "That's a lot of whys."

"Well you're a lot of frustrating."

Ignoring the coherence in that last comment, Helena contemplated her answer carefully. Her eyes glazed over, she seemed to leave the car for a moment before finally answering, just above a whisper "I was afraid."

Pete laughed. "Afraid? Of what? Artie? Me? The Regents? Because I forgave you a long time ago when you saved Myka, my Mom and pretty much the entire world from a pretty depressing end. Artie is well, Artie, he'll get over it. And the Regents pardoned you for helping take down Sykes in true Psycho v Psycho fashion."

She glowered at him from the passenger's seat.

"Sorry, habit," he replied sheepishly.

She continued, "I was afraid of myself, of what I had done and could do again."

"But you'd never hurt any of us again, especially Myka, I know that now."

Helena smiled sadly at Pete's reassurance. "But I still needed time, time to make sense of what had transpired and decide whether or not my future was with the Warehouse."

She stopped there, unable to continue.

"And what did you conclude?" Pete asked, eyes never leaving the road ahead.

"That the Warehouse was a part of me, whether I liked it or not"

She gave him a small smile and he returned it, glancing side-ways at her.

"…and Myka?"

She looked down solemnly. "Her even more so."

"So why don't you tell her!?"

"Because the mistakes we make cannot be undone, you just have to carry them with you, and learn from them."

"and what's that supposed to mean?"

"That I don't want to hurt her again."

Just as Pete was about to respond the Cookie Monster song began blaring from inside his jacket. He yanked out his cellphone.

"Lattimer. Hey Myks. Ok, yeah be there in 10."

He hung up and begun to turn the car around.

"Myka thinks she's found something."

* * *

When they arrived at the museum all was quiet.

"Not very popular it seems" Helena noted.

"The museum isn't the social hot spot in this town, Artie was right, this town's gone cuckoo."

Before Helena could supply a sarcastic retort, a white-haired man in a blue jumpsuit came charging towards them from the museum entrance.

"Hey aren't you the Caretaker that Myka came to interview?" Pete asked.

"Where is she?" Helena added with growing concern.

The man spoke between gulps of air. "If you're talking about that curly haired Secret Service Agent, she's in the main hall." He took another long breath. "But if I were you I'd lock that place up tight and shoot anything that tries to get out."

Pete and Helena exchanged worried glances and pushed past the Caretaker.

"Don't say I didn't warn ya!" He called after them.

The main hall was pretty large for a small town history museum. Artefacts lined the walls, many from early colonial America. Large glass cabinets contained weapons, flags and clothing. Some colonial, some native American. There were dioramas portraying early American life, with small moving parts and plaques explaining the relevance of the items shown. It looked like your typical museum setting, the only thing out of place was the eight foot monster standing in the centre of the hall.

"Woah, the budget for these places has really risen since I was a kid, all we got was some dude in a wig pretending to be from the 1500s."

The two Agents peered through a small circular window in the door leading to the hall.

"So what the hell is that thing? And where's Myka?" Pete asked, fear evident in his tone.

"I think that_ is_ Myka" Helena responded, pointing at the tattered clothing lining the floor "There's Myka's badge."

"Well what makes you think it didn't just eat her!" Pete was becoming more anxious with each passing moment.

Helena simply looked on, enthralled by the creature.

"I studied these when I was researching forms of body metamorphosis for Doctor Moreau. The Native Americans called them 'Skin Walkers'."

Pete just stared at her bemused.

"Skin Walkers were said to use the pelts of animals, mostly Wolves, to travel in their form. Look at its neck."

A thin rope hung around the creature's neck attaching to what appeared to be a second pelt running along it's back. Only visible because of the slightly lighter colour tone.

"Okay, say you're right. How do we…de-wolf Myka?"

"We take the pelt off her back and neutralize it." Helena replied deadpan.

"Oh right yeah, why didn't I think of that? And how do you suppose we do that without becoming Myka's new meat-based Twizzler substitute in the meantime?"

"We use a distraction."

With that Helena pushed passed Pete into the hall.

"HG?!" Pete exclaimed in a stage-whisper. But it was too late.

As soon as the doors opened the beast turned on its heels to face Helena. It snarled menacingly.

"Well hello to you too"

"Pete, get moving."

"Right."

Helena walked slowly into the creature's line of sight, hands raised, palms outward. As Pete began to inch his way around the beast's flank.

She began slowly, "Myka, darling, I know you're in there."

The beast dropped into a crouch, readying itself to charge. It growled low, the sound reverberating through Helena's chest.

A wave of fear passed through her. She pushed it aside, and continued. "Please Myka listen to me, you don't want to hurt anyone. You're not a monster, the Myka I know…The Myka I know is strong, kind and gentle and I know she's in there, somewhere."

The beast began to move slowly toward Helena, head low, fangs exposed. She stood her ground, her eyes pleading with the creature before her.

"Fight it Myka."

Suddenly a thud was heard from behind the beast as Pete's foot came into contact with a table leg. He and Helena froze in horror. It's ears pricked up and it began to turn around.

"No!"

* * *

Helena cried out and started towards the beast, as if on a spring it immediately turned it's attention back to her and charged. It cleared the space between them in seconds. Powerful legs thrusting it's body across the hall in a single leap. Helena found herself horizontal on the hard wood floor, a mass of black fur obscuring her vision. She felt scorching hot breath on her face and opened her eyes to find it's black shining eyes regarding her from above.

This is it she mused closing her eyes, as the waited for the final blow to come.

"Please Myka," she whispered "I…I love you."

She waited, but nothing happened. No roar. No searing pain. No ripping flesh. Nothing.

She tentatively opened her eyes, but the eyes that met hers were not black. They were green.

"Got it!" Pete declared, hovering above the two agents.

Helena let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding "Many thanks Pete."

Myka remained silent and unmoving from her place on top of Helena, staring into Helena's eyes with a mixture of fear and confusion.

"Darling as much as I'm enjoying having you in this position and state of undress, I believe I am lying on something pointy."

Myka's eyes grew wide and she looked down at herself. Scrambling off Helena, she reached for the jacket Pete was holding out for her. His other hand covering his eyes. Once Myka was sufficiently covered up, he looked down. "You good Myks?" he asked, placing a hand on the Agent's shoulder.

Myka looked around hazily. "Urm…yeah I think so, what happened? Why am I naked?"

Pete held up the Static bag containing the wolf-pelt. "You got whammied, went all 'Mr. Hyde' on our asses."

Helena sat up beside her, pulling a small plastic tree from her backside. "What was the last thing you remember?"

Myka furrowed her brow, "I was talking to one of the museum's Caretakers, he claimed he had a photo of a 'wolf-man' and went to get it from his office. I started looking around while he was gone, to see if I could find anything interesting in the museum's Artefacts". She turned to Helena, "next thing I know I'm lying on top of you…naked."

She wrapped Pete's jacket tighter around herself, suddenly the Farnsworth inside breast pocket began to buzz. Pete went to reach for it, but thought otherwise.

"Myks…could you…"

Myka reached inside, pulled out the blaring device and handed it to him.

"Thanks, I'll just be over here…getting yelled at."

Artie's voice could already be heard as he walked across the hall, Myka shifted uncomfortably.

Noticing Myka's discomfort, Helena attempted to lighten the mood, "Well that was one for the books! I think Pete will enjoy describing that one in the mission report."

Myka cut her off "I heard you you know." She said quickly, looking at her hands.

Helena's throat seized, she coughed, " I'm sorry?" she managed.

Myka continued, "When I was that…thing…I heard you, I was in a sea of black. I couldn't move. I couldn't see. I was so scared." Tears began to cloud her vision and she shook her head in an attempt to clear them, "But I heard you, your voice, trying to pull me from that darkness."

She looked up at Helena then. "I felt, safe."

Helena felt exposed beneath her gaze, the realisation of what, of who she almost lost hitting her and she felt the warm sting of tears in her own eyes.

She cleared her throat, "Well, I knew you'd come back to m…us."

She scolded herself internally for the slip up. "Your will is stronger than anyone I have known, certainly stronger than any beast. Artifact or otherwise."

Resisting the urge to cup Myka's face, she settled for a friendly pat on the knee and attempted to stand.

A hand shot out and stopped her. "I remember something else too."

Cold fear flooded Helena's veins. Thousands of scenarios flashed through her mind, all bad. She imagined Myka slapping her. Running from her. Demanding she never come near her, or the Warehouse again. She began to panic and the distress was evident on her face. But Myka just smiled, reaching out with soft caring hands. Hands that bore no evidence of the clawed, calloused paws they once were.

She then cupped Helena's worried face, drawing them together, she brushed her lips over Helena's tentatively. Helena's eyes shot open and she froze in surprise of Myka's soft lips on her own. Then, with a passion that only 3 years of repressed love could muster. She returned the kiss.

"…are you even listening to me?" Artie bellowed from the tiny black and white screen. Pete ignored him, smiling at the blissful scene before him. Turning back to Artie he asked, "Could you put Claudia on?"

"What?! Why?!"

"It's important."

Claudia, who had been eavesdropping from across the office, bounded over and swiped the device from Artie's bewildered grasp.

"What's up Petester?"

"Claud, the pie is in the oven."

He then turned the Farnsworth in the direction of the lip-locked Agents. Hearing a scream that was barely registered on the device's ancient speakers, he chuckled.


End file.
